Dan Poole | In a world where so very few things are universal, where there is no universal culture, language, or race, one of the characteristics that is universal is this: Human beings, by and large, are deeply attached to the nation that they were born in. [Identity.]

What is the definition of nation? Generally speaking, a nation is “a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, or history.” Historically, language and ethnicity have been especially important in establishing a nation, hence the existence of countries such as England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, Poland, etc.

Whether you are looking at Europe, Africa, Asia, or the Americas, nations have historically established themselves as ethno-states, and still do so today.

So then, how does this definition of “nation” relate to the United States of America? It’s a sad state of affairs that when it comes to American Exceptionalism and America being “different” from all these other nations, the best answer that both the left and right have to offer is the following: Water is thicker than blood.

“Poole, what are you ranting about now?” What I’m saying is that the United States is not beyond the traditional definition of “nation” except in this regard: America is the first nation in the history of the world to successfully unite the different ethnic groups of a single race (in this case, the white race) into a melting pot with a common culture.

Given the ethnic conflict that has largely defined human relations for thousands of years, the White European melting pot makes the United States truly exceptional. The amazing progress America has made in bettering the human condition also makes us truly exceptional.

Yet, if you listen to both the left and right these days, they argue that blood and tangible results are irrelevant. As a conservative with strong libertarian tendencies, this is a profound disappointment.

Consider what historian Samuel Eliot Morrison said, which Matthew Spalding of the Heritage Foundation quotes so approvingly: “If the American Revolution had produced nothing but the Declaration of Independence, it would have been worthwhile.”

By that logic the French Revolution was worthwhile because it produced the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Forget the bloody nightmare that followed!

I’m not accusing Spalding or any other well-intentioned conservative of believing this, but I am saying that it is completely imprudent to argue that principles matter more than practical, real-world results. If the results are bad, then screw the principles, as those principles clearly aren’t working for whatever reason.

But let’s get back to the definition of “nation,” which necessitates a common blood. Whether you listen to the left and its diabolical mantra of diversity, or whether you listen to the right and it’s adherence to the non-existent universality of man, they both argue that it does not matter what the racial makeup of America is.

They argue that as long as we abide by a set of ideas and principles, then America will continue to be a first world nation. They could not be more wrong.

Just because the United States is a nation of blood does not mean that ideas don’t matter or that America isn’t exceptional. As was explained already, the common blood that has defined America for over 200 years is unique and different from every other nation to ever exist.

But when you make the argument that water is thicker than blood, that ideas take precedence over extended family, you’ve boxed yourself into a corner where the only conclusion is that America is the new Tower of Babel.

Indeed, we see this conclusion manifest itself in neo-conservatism, that same failed ideology which dragged America into Democracy experiments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

One does not need to be a Ron Paul isolationist to see that “Democracy,” such as it is, cannot possibly be exported to retrograde nations that hate Western Civilization and have been at war with Western Civilization for 1400 years.

And neo-conservatism is just one contemporary example of where the universalism of “water is thicker then blood” has proven to be an abject failure.

The bottom line is that holidays like July 4 have always been celebrated by a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and history. Substitute “ethnicity” with “race,” and you have the United States of America.

And with that, I say to all: Happy Fourth of July!

Dan Poole is a 2012 graduate of Oakland University, with a BA in Political Science and a Minor in History. A former intern for the Milford Times with dozens of published articles, Dan has a passion for politics and ideology that he loves to express in writing.